Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-05-26
CHURCH UNION DEBATE.
How Col. Livingstone Demolished Dr
SmoOt and His Arguments,

ST. LOUIS, May 25.-The following is
an epitome of the speech made yesterday
aft moon in the Southern Presbyterian
Assembly by Col. Livingstone, of Georgia,
in which he not only spoke in favor of the
majority report on Union of the two As
semblies, but handled DR.. Smoot with
bare knuckles. He said:
When the majority made the report it
was out OF no disrespect for the fathers of
the church, like DR.. SmoOt. The speaker
admitted he had represented his people in
the Legislature at home, but he was not
talking as politician. He was not a pol
itician. DR.. SmOOj's speech was made up
OF bloody shirt and an attack upon the
Methodist Board. He characterized DR..
Smoot as a natural born politician in the
pulpit Of Christ He said that DR.. Smoot
had been mad ever since the Federal army
came into his county in Kentucky, and
they made him step up every thirty days
and take the oath. They couldn't trust
him niofe than thirty days. Ever since
that time he has no use for anything north
of Mason and DixOn's line. DR.. Smoot
said he wouldn't go if the others went.
The speaker suggested rather quantity
that they'd ''let him stay"
He wanted to know if thereswas any
politics in his predecessors address con-
cerning Wendell Phillips and Lloyd Gar
rison. He wondered if Northern man
ever used language more cutting to South
ern people than that was to Northern peo-
pie Smoot was different from Garrison.
Garrison would say to Smoot: Your
rebellion caused all the sorrow and ruin"
Smoot would say: well, you led us to
do il" The war was over, and its issues
should be buried forever and forever. As
to co-OperatiOn, the speaker declared that
Abraham armed his servants and went
down and helped Lot and released him and
his family. They didn't cooperate any
more, because the town was burnt up and
Lots wife was turned into pillar OF salt
Men were supporting the majority report
who were born farther down into the heart
OF slavery and the war than ever DR.. SmOot
was.
As to the charge that the majority had
dOCtOred the figures, the speaker completely
overturned the proofs 1t was unfair to the
Presbyteries which had not been heard to
say they were not moving in the matter
The legal presumption was that the silence
Of the Presbyteries meant their consent.
There was no question but that five spoke
in favor of it. The Others either cared
nothing for it or favored it. As to the
charge that this movement ought not
to follow the business men, "the children
of this world are wiser in their generation
than the children of light" This
Christ had said To certain people once
The trouble with the Presbyterian Church
was that there had been too little business
about it, The business men were hard
headed and sensible, and . church should
have some Of their sense. As TO nr. SmoOt's
idea of sending missionaries ia convert
the New EnglandeTs from their Unitarian
ism and other isms," the speaker said he
would like 10 be one Of the missionaries.
They might answer him in SOME fashion
such Gs this! Don't you think Southern
Presbyterians had better 20 back and tend
to those millions of niggers you have down
there God never intended separation Of
his children.
The clause in the majority report espeCi-
ally stipulated that the Southern Church
did not believe in deIiverances on politics.
The Southern Church went out because the
Northern Assembly in 1S6l, IN philadel-
phia, had declared the citizens to he under
the Government of the United States, the
Government de .ftcto and de- .iavc, and no
member of the Church should bear arms
against it. Ii this cause was removed,
then the Church could 90 back.
How many political deliverances had
the Southern Church made Many OF them.
The people at Omaha had notified this As
sembly they would accept Just what the
Missouri Synod had accepted. Dr. SmOOt
had dug up the bloody shirt and waved it,
and Taked up every cruel thing the North
ern Church had ever said. 1t was not fair
to make the Northern Church of to-day
stand for ten or fifteen or twenty years
ago. 1t would. have been fairer to have
taken their later declarations rs their ex
preston of opinion. Ii the Assembly did
not pay more attention to the Overtures
now made the Church would lose many
border PreSbyteries. The whole matter of
Church progress and Church growth had
been hindered by the two conflicting
Churches in the field. In all other mat
tiers the issues and differences of the war
were being buried out OF sight, and the
Church of God should not be the last TO
harmonic.
The invitation of the Second Presbyter-
ian Church of Philadelphia to the Assembly
to hold the next session in that city, and
extending their hospitality, was declined
as the Assembly has no church in Phila
delphia, hut they resolved to hold the
next session in May, lssS, at Baltimore,
and take recess on the fourth Thursday
in May aud proceed to Philadelphia to
assist in the centennial anniversary OF the
lgatnrn,aI prpShvtpry Of Amerirl